“Would you rape someone for 30,000 yen?” It Was My Ex-Boyfriend Who Asked… The Horrific Truth Behind the “Sexual Assault-for-Hire” Black Market Job Revealed in Court

“I could do this myself.”

The lay judge trial for defendant Reiya Yamamoto (25 at the time of arrest), who is charged with trespassing, non-consensual sexual intercourse, and other offenses for applying for an “under-the-table job” and breaking into an apartment in Tokyo to sexually assault a woman, was held on July 9 at the Tokyo District Court.

“In connection with this case, the mastermind, defendant Retsu Matsuda (27 at the time of arrest), has also been arrested. Defendant Matsuda was the former boyfriend of the victim, Ms. A. He posted on an online bulletin board seeking someone to carry out “sexual assault-for-hire,” writing, ‘I want someone to sexually assault a woman.’ He then communicated the details of the crime and Ms. A’s address to defendant Yamamoto, who had applied, via social media.On the day of the crime, Defendant Yamamoto visited Ms. A’s home posing as a plumber, saying, ‘I’m here to inspect the water supply.’ He entered her room and committed the crime,” said a reporter from the crime desk of a national newspaper.

Defendant Yamamoto entered the courtroom wearing a black tracksuit. He was a large man, over 180 centimeters tall and weighing nearly 100 kilograms, and the glare from his narrow, slanted eyes exuded an intimidating presence . Regarding the charges, he partially denied them, stating, “I did not have sexual intercourse. Everything else is correct.”

In his defense counsel’s opening statement, the sequence of events leading up to the crime was revealed.

Around mid-May of ’25, Defendant Yamamoto searched for terms such as “under-the-table jobs” and “rape” and found a post on an online bulletin board that read, “I’ll pay 30,000 yen—would you rape someone?” Thinking, “I could do this myself,” he contacted the KakaoTalk ID (Editor’s note: a messaging app) listed in the post.Defendant Matsuda reportedly replied, “I want you to rape her right in front of me, ” and provided instructions on how to carry out the act as well as Ms. A’s address.

On June 2, ’25, Defendant Yamamoto rang the intercom at the woman’s home while on a voice call with Defendant Matsuda, and kept the call active even after entering the room. He reportedly filmed the incident with his smartphone while committing the indecent acts. After the crime was over, Defendant Matsuda told him to leave the room, and he departed from the scene.

Although the payment was set at 30,000 yen, according to the prosecution’s opening statement, the only payment records found in Defendant Yamamoto’s “PayPay” payment app were 738 yen on June 2 and 5,000 yen on the following day, June 3, which are believed to be the payments.The defense attorney acknowledged the indecent acts but argued that the key issue was “whether or not sexual intercourse took place,” asserting that sentencing would be the point of contention.

At the July 10 hearing, Ms. A was called as a witness and recounted the details of the day of the incident and her profound distress.

At the initial hearing held the previous day, Defendant Yamamoto had partially denied the charges , stating , “I did not have sexual intercourse. Everything else is correct,” but…

“If you scream, I’ll kill you.”

Mr. A was questioned remotely from another room. In response to questions from the prosecution, details of the day of the crime were revealed, but his voice trembled with nervousness, and he appeared fragile, falling silent from time to time. The following is the content of Mr. A’s testimony.

Shortly after midnight on June 2, ’25, the intercom at Mr. A’s home rang. Mr. A had already gone to bed, but when he got up to answer, he was told , “I’m here to inspect the plumbing, so please show me the water fixtures, ” and he unlocked the automatic door.

Defendant Yamamoto, who entered the apartment while talking on his smartphone, inspected the kitchen, bathroom, and other areas with plumbing. While Defendant Yamamoto left the room temporarily, saying, “I’m going to talk to the person upstairs,” Ms. A called her ex-boyfriend, Mr. B. Mr. B told her , “It’s late—isn’t this suspicious?” and it was then that she first realized it was past midnight.

When Defendant Yamamoto returned to the room, he asked Ms. A, “Are you scared?” and said, “I’ll be done after one last check,” before coming back into the room and suddenly grabbing her. She struggled desperately, but Ms. A is 152 centimeters tall and weighs 42 kilograms.Faced with Defendant Yamamoto—who stood 180 centimeters tall and weighed an estimated 100 kilograms—she was completely helpless.

Her mouth and nose were covered, and she was threatened with, “I’ll kill you if you scream.” After her wrists were bound behind her back with cable ties, the sexual assault began.The cable ties loosened, and she tried to escape, but while lying face-down in the bathroom, Defendant Yamamoto straddled her from above and threatened her again, saying , “I’ll really kill you,” so she gave up resisting. During the assault, Defendant Yamamoto filmed Ms. A with his smartphone.

Ms. A recalled the scene at the time, saying , “It looked like he was talking to someone on a video call.” After the sexual assault ended, Defendant Yamamoto demanded money, asking, “Can I borrow your charger?” and “How much money do you have?”

“When I told him, ‘I have 50,000 yen,’ he said, ‘10,000 yen will be enough,’ and demanded 10,000 yen.”

After taking the money from Ms. A, Defendant Yamamoto said,

“I went too far [with the indecent acts against Ms. A] and got scolded. Keep the money demand a secret, too,”

he reportedly said without a hint of remorse.

When Mr. A asked , “Who told you to come (to the room)?” he replied , “It’s exactly what you’re thinking. I’m actually supposed to keep this a secret,” hinting at the presence of Defendant Matsuda, who was giving the orders. As he was leaving the room,he reportedly threatened her relentlessly , saying, “If you report this, I’ll kill you. Even if I get arrested, someone else will come to kill you,” before leaving the scene.

I’m even afraid to take a shower

Paralyzed with fear for a while, Ms. A

“I was afraid to report it myself because I thought I might be bugged, so I asked [Mr. B] to report it via LINE,”

She said. The trauma caused by the incident is also said to be severe.

“I spend every day feeling very anxious. I can no longer do things I used to be able to do. I’ve become afraid to be alone, and it’s causing significant problems—every day is a struggle. I can’t even take a bath anymore. I’m even afraid to take a shower. I have a fear of men, and I’ve been experiencing more frightening situations at work. The thought of the defendant being released into society fills me with unbearable anxiety,” said Ms. A.

In subsequent questioning by the defense attorney, when asked, “Did it seem as though [Defendant Yamamoto] was following orders?” Ms. A replied,

“There were times. He would say, ‘I don’t really want to do this, but I was asked to, so I have no choice.’”

Regarding the identity of the person giving the instructions,

“I thought it could only be Matsuda,”

Ms. A and Defendant Matsuda were in a romantic relationship, but

“He asked me to engage in abnormal sexual acts and tried to make me take an overdose,”

. Additionally, the defense attorney posed the following question:

“You met [Defendant Matsuda] on a dating app, didn’t you? Didn’t you receive 200,000 yen per month, and 30,000 to 50,000 yen each time you had sex?”

In response, Ms. A replied , “There was a time when that was the case.” According to the statement transcript, Defendant Matsuda claimed to have spent between 8 million and 10 million yen on Ms. A, raising the possibility that a grudge over money may have been the trigger. Ms. A stated,

“Before the incident, I didn’t think he held a grudge against me,”

.

Defendant Yamamoto was scheduled to be cross-examined at the July 14 hearing, but he exercised his right to remain silent, and the cross-examination did not take place. At the subsequent hearing on July 16, the prosecution, based on the results of Ms. A’s medical examination, concluded that sexual intercourse had taken place and stated,

“This was malicious and premeditated. She acted even when not under Matsuda’s instructions. The defendant and Defendant Matsuda were in an equal relationship; she was not subordinate to him,”

. They sought a 13-year prison sentence. When the presiding judge asked, “Is there anything you would like to say in closing?” Defendant Yamamoto replied,

“My selfish actions have inflicted deep physical wounds and shattered her spirit. I am prepared to accept any punishment. I am truly sorry,”

apologized. This is an unprecedented case of sexual assault carried out on behalf of another through an underground job. The verdict for this despicable crime will be handed down on July 23.